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At the height of his power,
warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598), one of the "Three Great
Unifiers" of Japan, ordered the construction of a golden tea ceremony
room at Osaka Castle. The room would become a testament to his
vast wealth and influence and, against the sensibilities of his
appointed tea master, Sen no Rikyu, would be used for political and
military discussions. Honored guests were served tea from a
glittering bowl covered with pure gold.
The story of Hideyoshi's opulent tea room is the source of inspiration
behind the newest member of Tomio Suzuki's glazing repertoire - yohen-kin shino. After
nearly a decade of experimentation and refinement, Mr. Suzuki has
created a lustrous, golden glaze while adhering to traditional shino
making techniques. Although the components of the glaze remain
secret, the artist will concede that no precious metal is used in the
process. Unlike Hideyoshi's gold covered tea bowl, the radiant
character of yohen-kin shino is born inside the kiln.
The results of Mr. Suzuki's efforts are proudly on display here in this exquisite yohen-kin shino
green tea cup. It is sure to become a green tea drinker's
guarded treasure.
For hot or cold green tea or iced
tea.
See Tomio Suzuki's
Kyoto Takashimaya exhibition
for more from his 2008 collection.
special care instructions
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